Memphis pulled out his phone to study the notes he’s made about the estate. “He died two days after the auction closed which was the day before the package shipped.”
“That’s really sad,” Lyric said.
“I’m going to ask his daughter about it. Maybe she knows why her father wanted it.”
I left the guys upstairs and found Dawn sitting in a recliner I presumed was her father’s due to its large size and scruffy appearance. It reminded me of the recliner Elijah’s dad refused to part with. Dawn was staring out the large picture window with tears rolling down her face, unaware I had entered the room. I could tell her mind was a million miles away, and I didn’t want to intrude upon her grief, so I tried backing out of the room. I stepped on a creaky floorboard in the process, jerking her out of her daydream with a startled gasp.
“I’m so sorry,” I said softly. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“I’m fine,” she said, shaking her head. “Well, I’m not fine today, but someday, I will be. Did you find anything interesting to either of you?”
I told her about the foot locker and asked, “Did it have significant meaning to him, do you think?”
“I know the foot locker you’re talking about. It arrived after he passed away.” Dawn drew in a shaky breath before continuing. “My dad is—was—a Vietnam veteran, and I think the idea of someone selling a soldier’s personal belongings to the highest bidder would’ve greatly insulted him. Knowing him, he’d decided to track down the soldier’s family and return the items to them.”
“That’s what I would try to do if I were him,” I said, nodding in agreement. “Are you willing to sell the locker to me?”
“Will you do everything you can to locate the soldier’s family and return it to them?”
“It might take time before I can work the research into my schedule, but I promise to do everything in my power to find the rightful owner. I have some contacts at our local veteran’s affairs office. I’m willing to hire a private investigator if I need to.”
“Then you can have it,” Dawn said.
“I can’t accept it for free.”
“You’ll probably be paying out-of-pocket expenses to locate the owner, and I know my dad would be pleased with my decision. I only ask one thing.”
“Name it.”
“You let me know when you find the family.”Whennot if.
“You have yourself a deal.”
In the end, I did buy a complete set of china that had belonged to her great-grandmother. She already had one set from a different grandmother and didn’t have room for a second one. Memphis negotiated prices with her over a few items then Dawn and I loaded the foot locker in the back of my SUV.
“I’m excited about all the possibilities the search could uncover,” I said to the guys once we were on our way back to Blissville. “Lyric, are you willing to lend me your investigative skills while we wait for the networks to work out a deal for our show?”
“I’d be happy to help you. Just let me know when you’re ready to start,” Lyric said. After a pause, he added, “There’s another type of partnership I was hoping to discuss with you but lacked the courage to bring it up.” I glanced at him in the rearview mirror and saw uncertainty stamped across his face. I suspected I knew what he wanted to discuss, but thought it was better to wait to hear him out first.
“Were you serious when you said you’d like to hire me to do the baking for Books and Brew?”
“I was,” I said, trying not to get my hopes up too high. I heard the subtle sigh of relief escaping from Memphis. “What did you have in mind?”
“I just need something to keep me busy until I figure out what I’m doing with the rest of my life.” It was the first time Lyric had confirmed he had no intention of returning to the show. Even if he decided to go back into television at some point, he could use Blissville as a home base just as well as anywhere else. “I don’t want you pissing off the commercial bakery currently supplying your goodies now if this doesn’t work out.”
“You let me worry about my contractors,” I said. “They’re a business, so they should be used to clients trying other vendors or seeking other options. Even if they do get pissed, there are other commercial bakeries I could use.”
“If you’re sure—”
“I’m sure you bake the best cakes, muffins, and desserts I’ve ever had. If you’re willing to give this a go, then so am I. Why don’t you meet with Milo and me at my office tomorrow? We’ll do lunch and discuss terms and come up with a plan we can all be happy with.”
“Sounds perfect to me.”
For the rest of the drive home, the conversation remained light and fun. Lyric talked about the recipes he planned to make later for us to sample as if we didn’t already know how lucky we’d be to have him work for us. Memphis talked about the comic book he was creating with Lyric’s encouragement. I started weaving wild guesses as to the reason Mr. Betson might’ve bid on the trunk. His daughter’s assessment was probably right, but how did he even stumble across the auction?
“Good point,” Lyric said. “Maybe it was something he frequently searched for, so they sent an alert when the auction went live.”
“Yeah, it’s a strong possibility. He did have an extensive collection of military items,” I agreed.
